One of Aleister Crowley’s most famed slogans was “The Method of Science; The Aim of Religion” which emblazoned copies of his publication The Equinox. Crowley was keen on putting the study and practice of magick on a scientific footing – treating workings and results as experiments that needed to be minutely documented and analyzed and ought to be able to be repeated before being considered anyything other than subjective experiences.
Meanwhile there are people who move in the opposite direction, trying to take science as the basis for myth making, as discussed in this recent Wall Street Journal article which beings:
“The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, is gearing up for another run at smashing particles together to unlock the secrets of the universe.
“That means anticipating a new round of conspiracy theories that its real aim is to blast open a gateway for apocalyptic demons.
“Never mind that a few years ago, CERN scientists discovered a particle crucial to the understanding of physical matter. Many Internet commenters want to talk about how CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile subterranean loop that smashes particles at nearly the speed of light, may breach another dimension and unleash the forces of darkness.”
To address some of the more fantastical claims made about the LHC, CERN has begun posting very dryly stated responses – what they call the “Surreal FAQ” which you’ll find here: http://press.cern/backgrounders/cern-answers-queries-social-media
You can read the entire article here
thanks to Soror Amy for the tip!
Indeed, that’s what they WANT you to believe 😉